[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dao-dust-pearl":3,"chapter-the-dao-dust-pearl-the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-81":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dao Dust Pearl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2359582,4614,"Chapter 81","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-81",81,"\u003Cp>Zhiqiu and the middle-aged swordsman, suspected to be a reincarnator, cleared a space and used magic to light a fire; he rubbed his hands over the flames and sighed in relief: “It’s been so long since I slept in a house! Comrade Zhou, I owe you thanks for your righteous aid! But I never expected these demons could burrow underground—we didn’t find their lair as you said, and lost track of them entirely!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’ve passed through Tiansha Peak many times—how come I’ve never seen this temple before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Zhiqiu glanced around, studying the newly built hall, puzzled: “Yet it feels oddly familiar… Damn it, chasing those demons blindly—I must be lost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then warned Qian Chen and the other two: “We chased a pack of demons here and lost them—likely their lair isn’t far. If you two often pass through, be extra cautious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed scholar, tall and with a loud voice, chuckled: “What kind of demons are they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoist Zhiqiu, having seen no one for so long, was suddenly talkative: “These demons aren’t ordinary—they’ve haunted Tiansha Peak for years. This place was always desolate, but after years of demonic raids, nearly all life within hundreds of li has vanished!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the reincarnator grew tense and whispered to Zhiqiu: “These two are suspicious—don’t reveal too much!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re all cultivators—what’s the harm?” Zhiqiu waved it off and continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My master heard of the demonic plague here and sent me to subdue them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For two months I’ve worked day and night, tracking their movements—they’re wolf demons, lying low by day and hunting humans at night. So I spent a month mapping their routes, then set an ambush at a mountain pass to wipe them out. But these wolves could burrow underground—they pretended four were trapped, while two dug behind me and attacked. Only Master Zhou’s timely intervention saved me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Zhiqiu was a loose-lipped fool—Qian Chen now had a clear picture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhiqiu was a wandering Daoist from Kunlun in this world, likely a key plot figure. From Qian Chen’s experience, the Blood Demon’s main thread must lie among the nearby demons—if he joined the orthodox side, he’d need to follow Zhiqiu to uncover the truth behind the demonic activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he wanted to join the Blood Demon faction, he’d have to find a way to contact the wolf demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the next step’s key was simply the demon pack—find their lair, and he could officially engage both factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the reincarnator kept such close watch on Zhiqiu—but besides him, there must be other clues to access the orthodox plot. The orthodox side surely didn’t send only Zhiqiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Zhiqiu, within hundreds of li, the only structure was the hall Qian Chen had just built.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Miaokong had arrived even a little later, wouldn’t the orthodox plot figures and reincarnators all have converged here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen hadn’t expected his accidental scheming to have such a useful side effect…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Qian Chen suddenly twitched his nose—he caught a faint, foul odor. His spiritual sense detected four heavy demonic auras burrowing upward from the south. He noticed the white-robed scholar first pressing his hand against the soft pouch; only then did Zhiqiu’s ears twitch, suddenly alerting to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swordsman reincarnator was the last to sense anything amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhiqiu stood, staring at the ground: “My Alarm Demon Bell has stirred—the demons must be near!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen noticed the jia ma on Zhiqiu’s feet trembling slightly, amplifying faint subterranean vibrations for the Daoist’s perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After one defeat, they immediately devised a countermeasure. These cultivators aren’t fools—and their spells and combat techniques are quite diverse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen assessed the world’s cultivators’ capabilities, merely tightening his grip on the long banner and stepping beside a pillar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, digging sounds reached their ears. Leaning against the pillar, Qian Chen heard the crisp crunching of gnawing—he understood. Then Zhiqiu cried out in alarm: “Worse! These wolf demons are tunneling under the hall’s foundation—they plan to collapse it and bury us alive! Everyone, get out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Chen wouldn’t let these demons ruin his ambush—he shook his Seven Fiend Banners, and a black demonic aura coalesced into a drill, sinking into the earth. Yet he said aloud: “These wolf demons want to force us out of the hall—clearly, something inside terrifies them. We must defend this hall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Makes sense!” Zhiqiu readily agreed, drawing his magic sword from its sheath and taking position at one corner of the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped the Yu Steps, shifting constantly, measuring the wolves’ positions, while a bronze compass appeared in his hand: “Nine on top, one below, three left, seven right… Gui Mei moves toward Wu Wang, Wu Wang toward Tong Ren, Tong Ren toward Da You… Jia turns to Bing, Bing to Geng, Geng to Gui… At the hour of Zi and Chou, Chen and Si, Wu and Wei… Ha! There you are!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stomped his right foot, and his magic sword flashed like lightning, piercing the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A howl of agony echoed beneath the ground…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the sword emerged, it dripped with wolf fur and demonic blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing another had already slain a wolf, Qian Chen shook his black banner again, sending two more streams of demonic aura like giant serpents into the ground. Soon, vibrations thrummed beneath their feet—the earth hardened into iron under the infused aura, trapping the wolves inside. Two of the four demons were dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white-robed scholar merely tapped his foot lightly—beneath him, the ground fell utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last wolf abandoned digging and fled in panic…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do you think you’re going!” The swordsman reincarnator roared, hurling three sparks into the ground. As mounds rose, the wolf fled toward the hall’s entrance; the three sparks exploded one after another in pursuit. The swordsman chased after it, returning soon with a grim face, clutching a gray, severed tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tossed the tail on the ground and muttered: “That bastard escaped by cutting off his tail.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To anyone who understood, this was pure nonsense. He must have been calculating the wolves’ lair—deliberately letting the demon flee, having already planted a hidden mark on it during those three sparks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the hall’s doorway, green eyes now flickered dimly all around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These ghostly eyes appeared from every direction in the darkness, slowly surrounding the hall. Qian Chen scanned quickly—nearly a hundred pairs. As all tensed against the encircling wolves, scratching sounds echoed from other walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch out—they’re digging through the walls!” Zhiqiu cried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive black shadow shot down from the beam with terrifying speed—the wolf’s demonic aura was tightly contained, and its lunge was as swift and silent as a ghost possessing flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>",1107,"2026-06-21T05:39:58.326Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d03a80284f625679447b4ce04d6fb436ba8f80851aee03035cc666a68b211ba0","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-82","the-dao-dust-pearl-chapter-80",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dao-dust-pearl-cover.jpg"]